FicWad

Author's Note: This is the biggest project I've undertaken in a while. First off, I'd like to thank my inspiration, ChaosCheebs, and my inspiration and Beta, Justin.

Secondly, I'd like to line up for you just why this story is rated R.

It Contains:
- Veiled, non-explicit allusions to the rape of an underage character and the attempted rape of one who is of legal age where I live, but may not be in other parts of the US, and high school rumors about the aforementioned rape of a minor. Both events take place before the story begins.
- Graphic violence, not to the point of gore but still rather disturbing, in my opinion
- Copius swearing
- Dark themes
- A suicide attempt
- EXTREME OOCness

It does not contain:
- Any scenes of sexual behavior
- Gore or dismemberment
- Any Original Characters

With that out of the way, enjoy!



With tears streaming down his face, Dr. Ivo Robotnik made his way across the park.

The odd passerby-not so odd, given that it was four in the morning on a Station Square weekend, and there was a party on the other side of the park-noticed the strange man, with his obese torso and stick thin limbs walking across the park, to the skating loop, without a skateboard. The kids at the party noticed his jet black clothes, his red jacket, the huge moustache for which he was known...One of them remarked, "Is that Doctor Eggman?" The group stiffened, but seeing that he had not noticed them, the kids went back to their fun.

The Doctor choked back a sob as he made his way down the path, so unsteady on his long, skinny legs that one could easily presume he was drunk. While it was true that Dr. Robotnik had had more caffeine than he probably should have, and there may have been a Romulan Ale or two involved in his night of brooding, with him being well over legal drinking age and all...but the man was far from drunk or even under the influence of any drug, although something had definitely impaired him.

And that was what it had been-a night of brooding. He supposed that the others who had been onboard the colony had had many of the same, but all of theirs were likely of a much different character. After all, Dr. Eggman is the one who set events into motion-he woke Shadow, he formulated the plan to get all the chaos emeralds and hold the world hostage... He was the one who nearly got them, and everyone else, killed in his stupid lust for power. It was his foolish actions, his foolish pride, that allowed the Biolizard to be awoken... It was his idiocy that caused Shadow to die.

And how many other lives had Eggman taken, inadvertently or not? It was the very chaos control technique that Sonic had learned from Shadow that had prevented his death at Robotnik's hands... And Eggman was well aware that at least ten lives were lost in his bombing of Prison Island... it would have been eleven if Shadow hadn't saved Rouge. And that wasn't even the beginning of the casualties. Eggman had only meant to actually kill one person... but it seemed he had taken at least eleven lives in some form or another, just in one week.

And there are things worse than dying, he noted to himself, shuddering involuntarily. If anyone knows that, I do. There are things much worse than death. He let out an odd little sob, one that would have sounded strange if anyone who knew him had been there to hear it. He knew there were things that were worse than death, and he had probably inflicted some of them on every manner of innocents. He had played Amy Rose, Tails, and Sonic against each other in a game that left each and every one of them feeling guilty and stupid. He had forced a mere child to watch as he attempted to murder that child's best friend. He had taken the only thing that mattered to Knuckles countless times, and violently shocked the poor echidna for daring to try to take it back.

I'm a bad person. God help me, I'm no better than my grandfather.

Eggman walked up the hill, climbing up onto the overpass. He had done too much. Too much pain and suffering had issued from his gloved hands... Too many people had died because of his pride.

I cannot-will not-allow this to happen anymore. I have hurt enough people. I will save my friendly enemies the trouble. He got to the edge of the artificial cliff, and beheld the cityscape. He could see echoes of pink in the distance, dotting the purple night sky... A new day was dawning... but not for him. For him, a day-a life-was ending.

Shadow had sinned just as grievously as he had, and Shadow had paid with his life. Eggman was even more atrocious than Shadow had been, although his bloodlust was less. Dr. Ivo Robotnik decided that he should pay as dearly as his friend had. They deserved the same fate, except that Ivo was not worthy of the glory and respect that the black hedgehog had received.

There was only one person it hurt Eggman to leave-one person he felt might even suffer from his unfortunately late death. One person among the heroes was a greater, stronger soul than any of the others... One person was a heroic spirit who could grieve for anyone, even a great enemy, because to him that enemy was a person, and not a force to destroy.

"Sayonara, Sonic the Hedgehog," Dr. Robotnik whispered, and stepped over the ledge.

As he fell, he was surprised how much falling to his death felt like descending the lifts back on Prison Island. He could feel his moustache being pulled at by wind shear as he descended at a rapid speed. Is this what it feels like to run, as Sonic does? He thought. Is this the key to his unnatural peace?

However, suddenly, the falling feeling stopped. He found...that he was floating above the city.

"What? What in the world...? Where am I?"

"In Station Square, silly," a voice said. He could identify it as female, but it didn't sound familiar.

"Who are you? What's going on?"

"You don't recognize your own cousin, Ivo? For shame." There was a white light, and a little girl appeared. She was about twelve years old, and clad in a rather postmodern rendition of the stereotypical angelic dress, including the glowing white wings. Her hair was short and blonde, and she had huge, beautiful blue eyes. Dr. Eggman recognized her from the old family photos, the ones from before he was born...

"Maria."

"That's right. We never met, but Shadow told me so much about you, and I've been watching... I feel like I know you as well as I know him."

"Shadow... he... told you?"

"You don't have be dead to tell dead people things, and that's all I'm allowed to say about that."

Dr. Eggman raised an eyebrow. She had anticipated and pre-empted his question.. Very good. But before he could muse about the inherent intelligence of the Robotnik clan, he realized that he was floating over the city, when only moments ago he had been falling to his death.

"Am I dead?"

"Not yet. But why? Do you want to be?"

In the back of his mind, Ivo cried, No! but instead "yes" came out of his mouth.

"Why, little cousin?"

"Because all I do is cause pain and suffering."

Maria frowned. "You do cause pain and suffering. I'm not going to deny that. But that's not all you do. You saved the world, didn't you?"

"Only after my actions nearly destroyed it... And Sonic and Shadow were the real heroes."

She shook her head. "Ivo, Ivo, Ivo... you weren't paying attention... if Amy hadn't talked Shadow into it, he wouldn't have done anything. If you hadn't tried to steal the Master Emerald, Knuckles wouldn't have been there to help in the core."

"That's not the point, Maria," he said, narrowing his eyes. "If I hadn't unleashed Shadow, none of it would have happened." Ivo considered. "If I hadn't tried to take over the world countless times, more people would be alive, and less people would have suffered."

"But you have. The past is past, cousin."

"The world would be a better place if I had never existed. I know the perils of time travel, so I won't try that. But maybe if I take my life, the world will be a better place once I cease to exist." A tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm no good to anyone."

"Oh Ivo..." she whimpered, pulling the Doctor into a hug and wrapping her wings around him. "That isn't true. Come with me... I've got some things I want to show you."

And in a flash of white light, they were gone.